Kewanee A's

The Kewanee A's were a minor league baseball team based in Kewanee, Illinois in 1948 and 1949. The A's played as exclusively as members of the Central Association in 1948 and 1949 and were a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics.

Kewanee A's
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass C (1948–1949)
LeagueCentral Association (1948–1949)
Major league affiliations
TeamPhiladelphia Athletics (1948–1949)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)1949
Wild card berths (1)1949
Team data
NameKewanee A's (1948–1949)
BallparkNortheast Park (1948–1949)

History

Minor league baseball began in Kewanee, Illinois in 1908, when the Kewanee Boilermakers became charter members of the Class D level Central Association, playing in the league through 1913.[1][2]

After folding in 1913, Kewanee was without minor league baseball for 35 years.

On June 18, 1948, the Moline A's of the Central Association moved from Moline, Illinois to Kewanee and became the "Kewanee A's".[1] The team was an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics. Playing under manager Joe Glenn, the Moline/Kewanee A's finished with an overall record of 53–74 (36–49 in Kewanee), ending the season 6th place in the 1948 Central Association standings. Moline had been a founding member when the Central Association reformed as a six–team league in 1947, along with the Burlington Indians, Clinton Cubs, Hannibal Pilots, Keokuk Pirates and Rockford Rox.[3]

In their final season, Kewanee captured the 1949 Central Association championship.[1] The 1949 Kewanee A's finished with a regular season record of 68–60, placing 3rd in the Central Association standings, finishing 12.5 games behind the 1st place Burlington Indians, to qualify for the playoffs. Kewanee had season attendance of 29,482, playing home games at Northeast Park.[4]

In the 1949 playoffs, playing under the manager Harold Hoffman, Kewanee defeated the Keokuk Pirates 3 games to 0 to advance.[5] In the Central Association Finals, Kewanee defeated the Cedar Rapids Rockets 4 games to 2 and captured the 1949 Central Association Championship. It was the last game played in the league.[3][6][7]

The Central League folded permanently after the 1949 season.[1] Of the six Central League teams, only Cedar Rapids fielded a team in 1950.[8] Kewanee has not fielded another minor league team.[2]

The ballpark

The 1948 and 1949 Kewanee A's played minor league home games at Northeast Park.[9] The ballpark had a capacity of 2,500 in 1948 and 4,000 in 1949. Today, Northeast Park is still in use as a public park. The location is 1200 North Main Street, Kewanee, Illinois.[10][11]

Timeline
Year(s)# Yrs.TeamLevelLeagueAffiliate
1948–19492Kewanee A'sClass CCentral AssociationPhiladelphia Athletics

Year–by–year record

(from BR Bullpen)

YearRecordFinishManagerPlayoffs/Notes
194836–496thJoe GlennMoline moved to Kewanee June 18
36–49 in Kewanee
Did not qualify
194968–603rdHarold HoffmanLeague Champs

Notable alumni

See also

Kewanee A's players

References
  1. "Central Association - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  2. "Kewanee, Illinois Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. "Kewanee A's - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  4. "1949 Central Association (CA) Standings on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  5. "1949 Kewanee A's Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  6. "1949 Kewanee A's Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  7. "1949 Central Association". Baseball-Reference.com.
  8. "Cedar Rapids, IA - BR Bullpen". www.baseball-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  9. "Northeast Park in Kewanee, IL history and teams on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  10. LinkedUpRadio, Envisionwise Website Service /. "Kewanee's Baseball History with the Kewanee Historical Society". Regional Daily News. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
  11. "Northeast Park". October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-10-10.
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